1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and more specifically, to an integrated circuit having a low power mode voltage regulator.
2. Related Art
Lower power consumption has been gaining importance in integrated circuits due to, for example, wide spread use of portable and handheld applications. Most circuits in handheld devices are typically off, for example, in an idle or deep sleep mode, for a significant portion of time, consuming only leakage power. As transistor leakage currents increase with finer geometry manufacturing processes, it becomes more difficult to meet chip leakage targets using traditional power reduction techniques. Therefore, reducing leakage current is becoming an increasingly important factor in extending battery life.
There are several methods for reducing leakage currents of integrated circuits during a low power mode. One method involves providing a “virtual” ground terminal that can be at ground potential during a normal operating mode and then increased above ground during a low power operating mode to reduce the leakage current. However, as power supply voltages decrease, it becomes more important to maintain the increased voltage on the virtual ground terminal during the low power operating mode very accurately.